This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. CERAMICS AND REGIONALITY IN THE HIGHLANDS AND NORTHERN ISLES OF SCOTLAND, 2500-1800 BC VOL II OF II OWAIN D. SCHOLMA-MASON SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, ARCHAEOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 2018 PART III: DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS CHAPTER TEN REGIONALITY, TYPOLOGY AND CHRONOLOGY 10.1 Introduction Having set out the key features of ceramic assemblages at a regional level in Part II, this chapter considers the interregional similarities and differences at a broader level. Their relationship to preceding ceramic traditions will be further considered here. This review will summarise the principal vessel types from across the study area, further critiquing regional ceramic traditions and their chronology. The contextual aspects of these trends are considered in the following chapter. Before this, I will briefly outline the nature and quality of the evidence from across the study area. 10.2 Data Summary This thesis set out to examine in detail the nature of regional ceramic traditions and their contexts of use. In Part II the key ceramic types from the study area were outlined, providing a comprehensive overview of types, context and chronology. Detailed regional typologies were developed based on these reviews (Tables 6.7, 7.11, 8.7, 8.8, 9.7 & 9.8). These considered not only the physical attributes of the vessels, but their associations and patterns of use. These contextual aspects are further discussed in Chapter 11. The quality of the available information was highly variable, with several sites lacking detailed information. This included a suite of sites where finds were either described simply as urns, or no further information was available (Apps. B3, C3, D3). Due to poor levels of recording, sequencing and the lack of high quality radiocarbon dates, data from Shetland posed several interpretive problems. A variety of post-depositional factors including reuse, regular clearing of interiors, and manipulation of midden deposits was identified (Section 6.2.12). In the case of the latter this includes the use of midden to backfill structures. Similar processes were identified at domestic sites across the study area, including Orkney where midden was commonly employed in backfilling events. Where dates were available in Shetland, the degree of association between the dated sample and the pottery was frequently uncertain. Considering this, the ceramic sequence across the 3rd millennium in 445 Shetland remains uncertain. In Chapter 5 it was suggested that some aspects of pottery in Shetland could be related to Grooved Ware, but this cannot be ascertained fully. As noted throughout this thesis, caution should be expressed in labelling pots based on perceived visual similarity (Section 3.4.1). The problems of this approach can be seen in the case of HD916 from H1 Ness of Gruting (SFI5). HD916 was initially interpreted as a Hebridean type (Henshall 1958: 381), but current dating and the overall composition of the assemblage suggest that such an analogy is erroneous (Section 6.2.2). Given the ambiguities in the phasing of H1 Ness of Gruting (SFI5) the interrelationships of the material are difficult to discern. Similar problems of phasing occur at most sites in Shetland, limiting further analysis of ceramic types and use over time. Despite these limitations it is apparent that a range of vessel types were in use during the later 3rd millennium across Shetland, showing considerable variation from site to site. It is unclear if these differences reflect temporal or site-specific variations. Considering this, vessels were assigned to a series of regional categories, rather than attempting to fit them into the categories defined for this study (Chapter 4). As will be further examined these pots, alongside examples from Orkney, represent regional types blending a range of attributes. Although the quality of the information was better, difficulties were encountered in examining long-term sequence and patterns of deposition in Orkney. At Crossiecrown (ORK6) and Rinyo (ORK16), a lack of detailed ceramic phasing prohibited a critical appraisal of change over time. The exact position of sherds and their relationship to the rest of the assemblage was frequently unclear. Similar problems were encountered with phasing and sequence at Tofts Ness (ORK19). Here, difficulties in the overall phasing prohibit scrutiny of dating and sequence of the site overall (see MacSween et al. 2015). The bias towards domestic sites in Orkney prevents examination of the interrelationship of ceramic types across contexts. Bucket/ tub vessels, however, were employed in both domestic and funerary contexts. These forms are frequently found in cremations in the 2nd millennium BC (Sheridan 2007a: 171), while plain bucket/ tub vessels continue in use, as seen at the burnt mounds of Liddle and Beaquoy (Hedges 1977) (Fig. 7.17). One area of uncertainty remains around the final phase of Grooved Ware use in Orkney. The relationship of late incised wares to these is unclear. Given the overlap in form, there is a clear shared element, the primary point of divergence instead lies in the range of decorative techniques and motifs (Section 7.2.3, see also Section 7.6). Examples of late incised wares include sherds from Tofts Ness (ORK19), the single vessel from Newhouse (ORK12), the Braes Ha’Breck (ORK3), the Ness of Brodgar (ORK11) and Crossiecrown (ORK6). The latter site includes examples of probable Beakers (Fig. 7.7). Diagnostic Beakers, following the 446 Feature Function Fill Interpretation Post pipe/ 2 sherds pottery Pottery F134 organic incorporated into container fill Kiltaraglen Unclear – 112 sherds Unclear if (SH35) proximity to pottery (mix of associated with F168 Early Bronze vessels) burial or Age cremation ‘domestic’ 14 mudstone activity lithics Kinbeachie n/a ?Disturbed Fragments of Part of funerary (SH36) burial? Beaker rite 23/10, 23/11, Part of slot/ post ? ? Rosskeen E 23/12 built structure (SH46) ?Burial? Fragments of Part of funerary Food Vessel rite 23,26,30,32 Pits Fragments of Mixed deposits Rosemarkie Beakers and (SH45) Food Vessels Table 10.1: Summary of pit deposits from across the study area definitions set out in Chapter 4, were restricted to the Links of Noltland (ORK10), Rinyo (ORK16) and the fragmentary vessels from several chambered cairns. Food Vessels were recorded at only three sites, Redland (ORK15), Corrigall (ORK5), and Sand Fiold (ORK17). Other vessels from funerary contexts included bucket/ tub forms and steatite vessels from Shetland. The presence of steatite highlights the growing importance of connections between Orkney and Shetland in the later 3rd millennium. This extends to potential overlap in ceramics between the two regions, but in the absence of detailed chronology direct comparisons should be approached with caution. In the Highlands, the evidence was predominantly of a funerary nature, with sixty-eight recorded sites, twenty-seven in the North Highlands and a further forty-one in the South Highlands (Apps. A3.2 & A4.2). In total, 101 vessels were recorded, 55% of which were Beakers, and 33% were Food Vessels. Other vessel types recorded from funerary contexts include Cordoned Urns, of which eight examples were recorded (Table 10.2). These lie outside 447 Site Context Type Associations Inverted over Cemetery/ Pit cremation – Elongate bucket/ tub, four Raigmore (SH44) (cut into cremation of child cordons. Undecorated cairn) (3-4 years old) Bone toggle Fragmentary, single Cremation – Dalmore Farm cordoned, incised lattice in container. No Cemetery/ Pit (SH20) space between cordon and further rim information Rosskeen (E. of Indeterminate Fragmentary – no further ?Poss. domestic Rosskeen Church) information vessel? Kinsteary Cist Elongate bucket/ tub, three ?Container for cordons cremation? Faience beads (now lost) Lairg Henge/ Pit Elongate bucket tub, Inverted over slightly cylindrical, cremation – undecorated, two cordons cremated remains of two individuals, young female subadult and adult male Rosemarkie Cemetery/ Fragmentary (Pot 42) Pot 42- Upright, (SH45) Pits Fragmentary (Pot 44) contained remains Lattice dec. reminiscent of of two individuals that from Dalmore Farm and sub Pot 44 -adult animal Ness Gap (SH40) Cemetery/ At least five Cordoned Buried upright Pits Urns Table 10.2: Summary of Cordoned Urns from the study area 448 Waddell’s distribution, where notable clusters occur in Fife and Lothian (1995: Fig. 11.3). Multiple examples have also been recorded from Aberdeenshire, where they closely overlap with Collared Urns (see Law, R. 2008: Chp. 6). These form part of a small, tightly clustered group of vessels extending along the Laich of Moray (Shepherd, I. &